The present invention relates to a capacitive distance sensor, in particular, a small-distance (micrometric to millimetric) sensor.
Small-distance sensors are used, among other things, as pressure, proximity, roughness, mechanical stress and acceleration sensors, for example, in integrated microphony and for acquiring fingerprints.
For fingerprint acquisition in particular (to which reference is made herein purely by way of example of a preferred application of the present invention), known sensors include various types, such as optical, piezoelectric, variable-conductance, thermal, ultrasonic and capacitive, the most promising of which in terms of precision, size, production and cost are capacitive sensors.
Capacitive sensors are based on the principle that the capacitance between two plates is inversely proportional to the distance between them, so that, using the contacting dermal tissue itself as the second plate of the sensor capacitor, and by determining the capacitance, it is possible to locate the ridges and grooves of the fingerprint. This is the principle used in U.S. Pat. No. 5,325,442 to Knapp, which relates to a sensor comprising an array of elementary cells, each comprising a sensitive electrode and an electronic switching device. The electrode is coated with dielectric material, such as passivation oxide or a polymer compound, onto which the epidermis is placed. When a cell is selected, a predetermined variation in potential is applied to the electrode to induce at the terminals an appropriate variation in charge. The extent of variation in charge depends on the capacitance associated with the electrode and is read by amplifying elements connected to the output of the device. To improve efficiency, the above patent suggests a surface grid connected to a reference potential to appropriately bias the skin tissue.
In the above known capacitive sensor, the capacitance between the plates of a capacitor varies in inverse proportion to the distance between the plates, which therefore poses the problem of normalizing the resulting data. In particular, if the capacitance being measured is very small, as in the application in question, serious difficulty is encountered in detecting the charge and discriminating between the various intermediate charge levels corresponding to different gray levels of the image to be generated in the presence of a low signal/noise ratio.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a sensor designed to overcome the drawbacks typically associated with known technology.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is directed to a capacitive distance sensor for measuring small distances. The distance sensor includes a first plate positioned facing a second plate such that the first and second plates define a distance to be measured therebetween and form a capacitive element therebetween. The distance sensor also includes an amplifier having an input and an output. The capacitive element is connected between the input and the output to form a negative feedback branch.
In practice, according to the present invention, the detecting capacitor, the distance between the plates of which is to be determined, is placed in a negative feedback loop, thus inverting between the denominator and the numerator the dependence of the output voltage on the distance between the plates.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is directed to a sensor device, integrated on a single semiconductor chip, that senses a distance between the sensor device and an object such as a human finger. The sensor device includes first and second coplanar plates positioned adjacent to the object to form first and second capacitances between the object and the first and second plates, respectively. The sensor device includes an amplifier having an input connected to the first plate and an output connected to the second plate to form a negative feedback branch that includes the first and second capacitances.
Fingerprint and other biometric sensors formed in accordance with the present invention will have application in preventing the unauthorized use of cellular phones, laptop computers, automobiles, automated teller machines, credit/debit card readers, POS terminals, and smart cards. They are also useful in authenticating electronic financial transactions, personal e-mail, providing access to buildings, etc. Biometric identification, such as personal identification and authentication alternatives which could be accomplished by mounting a sensor as taught by the present invention include hand or finger shape, facial shape, and facial features. In addition, the sensor device of the present invention could be used for non-biometric sensing, such as handwriting detection, switch actuation, and any other device requiring sensitivity to object proximity.